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LA Noire dev owed over $1M to employees

A new report indicates that over 75% of the debt that ultimately forced L.A. Noire developer Team Bondi to close its doors came from unpaid wages at the studio.

A new report indicates that over 75% of the debt that ultimately forced L.A. Noire developer Team Bondi to close its doors came from unpaid wages at the studio.

Of the AU$1,425,156.78 ($1.4M USD) owed to creditors when the studio shuttered, over one million was intended to pay employees, along with tens of thousands owed to developers who defended the studio's working conditions. Additionally, documents filed with the Australian Securities And Investments Commission note the company's controversial executives were owed nearly $100k a piece.

The paperwork, discovered by Edge, reveals that even the company behind L.A. Noire's state-of-the-art MotionScan facial animation is owed thousands of dollars, despite being one of the most important factors for the game's success. Depth Analysis, the company formed by Team Bondi studio boss Brendan McNamara, is still owed $145,795.83 for the project.

Edge details a laundry list of divisions throughout Team Bondi owed backpay, including David Heironymus, the gameplay lead that staunchly denied claims of excessive crunch time and publicly defended the team's boss McNamara. According to the filings, Heironymus is owed over $40,000.

McNamara himself is owed $102,495.16, the highest amount owed to any single person involved on the project. Even Team Bondi's own accountants have been shortchanged, being owed a total $54,427.01 at the time of the studio's closure.

An appointed liquidator is expected to handle the sale of any of the company's remaining assets as well as outstanding payment of debts before the studio is officially closed for good.